Autistic Exhaustion or Something Else?

It could be. Until I have some answers and test results I have no way of knowing

Thank you for the reply.

I'm resting as much as I can in between the demands of work and study but it doesn't make for the most exciting life. I can definitely recognise those light/sound sensitivities as a trigger for the exhaustion and lying down in a quiet room to let my brain cool off (not necessarily sleeping) has been working for me.

The issue is that at work I don't have the same opportunity to rest and I've resorted to taking a few minutes of rest in the bathroom when I get that exhausted. It's not good enough but it's all I have at the moment.

This is just another example of why post diagnostic assessments after a diagnosis of adult autism are so vitally important, are critical and are crucial in order to identify appropriate support needs, even more so in the case of adult autism diagnosis - this is the very reason why adult post diagnostic assessments must become both a basic legal right and entitlement for people with autism and a basic legal obligation on all statutory bodies tasked with autism, whether NHS or private that these must be provided in all cases - how can a person diagnosed with autism later in life possibly expect to have any meaningful quality of life and to move forward with their life - any side debates on whether or not autism is a disability is not constructive and is unhelpful, as it is distracting and diverting attention away from the central issue, which must at all times be our primary focus, that in in order to have properly functioning lives a post diagnostic assessment immediately following a diagnosis of autism (or as soon as possible after diagnosis) is both essential and is vital 

Any chance it could be long covid, dunno if they test for that?

You might find this NAS page on autistic fatigue and burnout helpful too.

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/autistic-fatigue/autistic-adults

Feel better soon x.

It could be burnout. There's a wide range of symptoms of autistic burnout and it affects everybody differently.

Reassuring that your tests came back clear, hopefully that will bring you a small comfort.

With burnout resting is key so you need to get as much rest as possible and hopefully your symptoms will improve.

That's how I diagnosed my own burnout as I also went to the doctor and had tests but all came back clear for me as well.

I read about burnout and started to rest and do less and gradually my symptoms started to ease and improve.

My burnout symptoms were similar to Luftmentsch and I also had extreme dizziness and light sensitivity. 

Also hope things have improved for you OP and you're feeling better than when you made this post.

Just bumping this thread - I've been struggling with eyelids drooping, feeling very sleepy and dizzy and some muscle weakness at work for about a year on and off now. Blood tests all came back normal and I'm wondering if it's just autistic burnout?

Did you get any answers since this post was made?

Thank you :)

I'm sorry that you also struggle with fatigue.

Yes, my experience is that I use a lot of brain power and energy doing things that others find easy.

I am planning on making an appointment about this with my GP, thanks.

I have been feeling fatigued for a long time now.  I visited my GP and after blood tests I was told everything was normal.  Incidentally, I have low blood pressure.  I find I have dizzy spells and feel ill at times so much so that I just have to lie down.  I think mine is down to stressful situations when in the past, may not have bothered me as much as it does today.  

I am newly diagnosed.  I did attend a local group and was informed that it takes a lot more brain power to do things that non autistic people do and therefore we can get tired and fatigued at times.  

If you are concerned that it may be something that needs addressing visit your GP who will do any tests/investigations deemed necessary and put your mind at rest.  

No, I don't have any COVID symptoms. Also, this seems to be very situational in a way that COVID is not. Some things that happened since I wrote this post have made that more obvious to me.

This may be obvious but have you taken a covid test.

And off side, I used to get dehydrated but now buy pure cranberry juice and have a shot a few times a week. Cut with grape it's quite nice. Lemons and high mineral content spring water have also helped immensely (don't get low sodium spring water though).

Quite a lot has changed in the last two months. I got married at the end of August, but, because of immigration issues, was only with my wife for twenty-four hours before I had to come back to the UK, and she had to stay in the US while she waits for her visa. We then had a stressful few weeks putting the visa application together. Then a month of Jewish religious festivals with a lot of stuff I find hard (disruption to routine, peopling). So I think stress from this looks increasingly likely as a source of the problem, on top of pre-existing work stress from being autistic in the workplace.

I don't think there's any likelihood of mould or damp.

What has changed in the last 2 months? Is there a possibility of mould spores or damp? These could cause it. 

Are you getting enough salt? Sometimes a magnesium spray can help... 

Ask your doctor to check for iron and b12. There are other things as well which can make you fatigued like thyroid, coeliac and low vit D. And diabetes as mentioned above.  Have you had any viruses? They can bring on fatigue too. It might be autism burnout. Or it might be a combination of factors. 

The thirst is a potential flag for diabetes.  Definately see the doctor regarding that symptom.

I thought iron deficiency when I read this.

I tend to get unwell with burnout and autistic exhaustion. I do also have a tendency towards being iron deficient. Tiredness and dizziness and feeling faint are all symptoms I have/have had.

Thanks for replying. Diabetes testing is probably a good idea. I think I had blood tests for iron deficiency (among other things) a couple of months ago, when I started investigating whether I have a sleep disorder and everything was fine, but things might have changed.

I'm sorry to hear about your poor energy levels and also your stress/burnout experience. It sounds somewhat similar to my experience doing my BA and then my MA, both of which were interrupted by severe depression, which in retrospect was probably burnout-related. My energy levels have never fully recovered from that either, but things seem to have got worse recently and I can't work out if that's because of worse autistic exhaustion, life stresses or something else.

I used to feel utterly drained after work too especially as I was also a carer for my mum.

It is being with people that drains me the most.

A test for diabetes would be useful as would a blood test to check your iron levels.

My husband has sleep apnoea + REM sleep behaviour disorder.

Sleep disorders are horrid as good quality sleep is so therapeutic.

A sleep disorder can leave you tired constantly unfortunately.

I hope that you are able to find a solution.

Luftmentsch said:

light-headed, dizzy, faint and generally unwell

That sounds like the list of symptoms I took to my dr and got a diagnosis of stress. I had thought it was a physical illness. Took time off my PhD, went on a useless course on dealing with stress, took more time off my PhD, got counselling but as it was on the NHS not for long enough (plus my Mum got cancer so we ended up talking more about that and never got close to sorting my problem), eventually gave up my PhD. Sound like autistic burnout? That was a decade before I had any inkling I might be autistic. I do wonder if having known might have meant I didn't have to give that up, or better still not having reached that point.

I do have very poor energy levels. I have a physical disability (arthritis) since about age 20 for which the main symptom has always been exhaustion, such that as my kind doesn't show up in a blood test they thought it was post-viral fatigue or ME for a year. At the point I got the burnout mentioned above I was sad that my energy levels were only about half that of a normal person. Now I think back longingly of having as much as 50% energy! Now it is more like 10%.